Recently, with increasing awareness of the critical situation of future global environments, it has been highly expected to develop an energy supply system harmless to the global environments. Especially urgently required are to reduce CO2 to prevent global warming and reduce harmful emissions such as THC (unreacted hydrocarbons in an exhaust gas), NOx, PM (particulate matter in an exhaust gas: soot, unburned high boiling point and high molecular weight fuel and lubricating oil). Practical examples of such a system are an automotive power system to replace a conventional Otto/Diesel engine and a power generation system to replace thermal power generation.
Hence, a fuel cell, which has high energy efficiency and emits only H2O and CO2, has been regarded as a most expectative system to respond to social requests. In order to achieve such a system, it is necessary to develop not only the hardware but also the optimum fuel.
Conventionally, as a fuel for a fuel cell system, hydrogen, methanol, and hydrocarbons have been candidates.
As a fuel for a fuel cell system, hydrogen is advantageous in a point that it does not require a reformer, however, because of a gas phase at a normal temperature, it has difficulties in storage and loading in a vehicle and special facilities are required for its supply. Further, the risk of inflammation is high and therefore, it has to be handled carefully.
On the other hand, methanol is advantageous in a point that it is relatively easy to reform, however power generation quantity per weight is low and owing to its toxicity, handling has to be careful. Further, it has a corrosive property, special facilities are required for its storage and supply.
Like this, a fuel to sufficiently utilize the performances of a fuel cell system has not yet been developed. Especially, as a fuel for a fuel cell system, the following are required: power generation quantity per weight is high; power generation quantity per CO2 emission is high; a fuel consumption is low in a fuel cell system as a whole; an evaporative gas (evapo-emission) is a little; deterioration of a fuel cell system comprising such as a reforming catalyst, a water gas shift reaction catalyst, a carbon monoxide conversion catalyst, fuel cell stacks and the like is scarce to keep the initial performances for a long duration; a starting time for the system is short; and storage stability and handling easiness are excellent.
Incidentally, in a fuel cell system, it is required to keep a fuel and a reforming catalyst at a proper temperature, the net power generation quantity of the entire fuel cell system is equivalent to the value calculated by subtracting the energy necessary for keeping the temperature (the energy for keeping balance endothermic and exothermic reaction following the preheating energy) from the actual power generation quantity. Consequently, if the temperature for the reforming is lower, the energy for preheating is low and that is therefore advantageous and further the system starting time is advantageously shortened. In addition, it is also necessary that the energy for preheating per fuel weight is low. If the preheating is insufficient, unreacted hydrocarbon (THC) in an exhaust gas increases and it results in not only decrease of the power generation quantity per weight but also possibility of becoming causes of air pollution. To say conversely, when some kind of fuels are reformed by the same reformer and the same temperature, it is more advantageous that THC in an exhaust gas is lower and the conversion efficiency to hydrogen is higher.
The present invention, taking such situation into consideration, aims to provide a fuel suitable for a fuel cell system satisfying the above-described requirements in good balance.